Ryanair has warned that it is considering reversing plans to offer in-flight entertainment (IFE), after a weaker-than-forecast take-up during trials. The revelation came as the Irish budget carrier reported that its third-quarter net operating profits dropped by 20% during the three months to 31 December to €35 million ($45 million), as fuel costs for the period rose by nearly 70%.
Ryanair announced plans in September to introduce handheld DigEplayer 5500 portable IFE systems, committing to take an initial 6,000 units. Charging passengers £5 ($9) per flight for the service, Ryanair had said that it expected the innovation to earn at least c14 million in the first year.
Trials, which began in November on aircraft flying from London Stansted, had to be extended and demand is still proving "disappointing", says Ryanair. It says that evaluation was initially hampered by the lack of content in non-English languages, which has now been resolved, but unless take-up "significantly" improves, it will drop plans to roll out the system across the entire fleet, and could abandon IFE completely.
Source: Flight International
